NASCAR teams are always looking for their next up-and-coming star. For two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races in 2026, Joe Gibbs Racing is taking a chance on a young driver out of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
On Wednesday, February 4, JGR announced that last year’s Truck Series winner at Talladega, Giovanni Ruggiero, will make his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut in the #19 Toyota in the season-opening race at Daytona. Ruggiero will also run the following week at EchoPark Speedway as part of a two-race deal with the team.
The two O’Reilly races with JGR are in addition to Ruggiero running six races for the organization in the ARCA Menards Series in 2026. Ruggiero is also set to run a full-time season in the CRAFSTMAN Truck Series for Tricon Garage.
In a statement, Ruggiero expressed his excitement for the opportunity to drive for JGR and believes he’s as prepared as ever to get behind the wheel.
“This opportunity allows me to gain valuable experience on the mile-and-a-half and superspeedways, which I can then apply to the truck series. I also have so much fun driving the ARCA cars, and I can’t wait to put the No. 18 up front again,” Ruggiero said.
Gio Ruggiero Posted 11th-Place Effort in Truck Series Last Year
Gio Ruggiero burst onto the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series scene in 2025. The now 19-year-old got behind the wheel of the #17 Tricon Garage Toyota, replacing Taylor Gray, who moved up to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity).
Ruggiero competed in all 25 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events last year. The Toyota Racing Development driver posted one win, 11 top 10s, seven top fives, and average finish of 12.4, which culminated in finishing 11th in points.
Ruggiero’s first career victory came last October at the Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the #17 led a race-high 37 of 90 laps and fended off Tricon teammate Corey Heim on the final two-lap restart to secure the win.
This season, Ruggiero is back behind the wheel of the #17 machine for Tricon Garage. The Massachusetts native will be teammates alongside Kaden Honeycutt and Tanner Gray.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Lineup for 2026
Much like the Cup Series, Joe Gibbs Racing has been a staple in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. This season, JGR will field three full-time drivers, while the #19 car will be split up among drivers on a part-time basis.
One of those part-time drivers is Ruggiero, along with Brent Crews, who will compete in 29 races for JGR in 2026.
Meanwhile, Brandon Jones returns to JGR to field the #20 Toyota full-time in 2026. Jones posted a fifth-place finish in the final points standings last year and won two races, coming at Darlington and the playoff race at Kansas.
Taylor Gray returns to the seat of the #54 for JGR in 2026 for his second full-time season. Gray finished seventh in the points standings in 2025 and captured his first and only career victory at Martinsville last October.
William Sawalich is also returning to JGR in 2026 as he will field the #18 Toyota in his second season with the team. Sawalich competed in 31 of the 33 O’Reilly races last year and tallied nine top-10 finishes.
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